Two people die in Johannesburg fires

A 32-year-old woman died of smoke inhalation in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg, when a house was engulfed in flames on Saturday.

Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said firefighters responded to a fire at about 1pm.

“On arrival, firefighters found a six-bedroom house engulfed in flames and started evacuating people who were inside the house while conducting firefighting operations.” 

Mulaudzi said during a search and rescue operation firefighters recovered the woman's body.

She was confirmed dead on the scene by paramedics from the Gauteng provincial EMS. He said no other injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was being investigated.

He added that Johannesburg EMS had responded to other fire incidents this week — in Diepsloot, Doornkop and the Joburg inner city — with one person killed in Doornkop.

“Residents are encouraged to to be cautious when using heating devices by not leaving them unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents at home.”

TimesLIVE